Celebration of Speedway 2020

Celebration of Speedway

This is the first time a managed to get to this event at the Paradise Wildlife Park. Broxbourne. I was going on the Buell but decided not too as strong winds and rain were battering my area when I left. It was not all plain sailing in the El Cid either so the gust odd winds were making to side screens flap so hard that after only a few miles the strap that holds the left side screen in place broke and I was forced to stop on the hard shoulder to effect a repair. I used a nylon strap from the bonnet catch around the mirror stalk on the outside through the velcro seal of the side to the roll bar on the inside. It didn’t stop the side screen from moving but held it in place enough to carry on my journey to Broxbourne. I arrived, the rain had stopped and the wind abated. 

I know the museum is small but the content is huge and up to date with bikes from Jason Doyle and Chris Harris on display. I remember Ivan Magher from the seventies along with Barry Briggs but none of the earlier Speedway Heroes. It was very enlightening. As was the event. Bills’ Speedway bike was on display and with the lads from Whitewebbs supervising it this bike drew quite a bit of attention with more information about it coming forward from people who personally knew the history of Jim Tebby and his brother Stan. 

Keith had done a cracking job cleaning and polishing to pristine condition

Next stand was Kent Speedway advertising the “Kings” and the “Royals’. I have an invite to go and see them in Sittingbourne when the season starts. I did not realise that Wal Phillips had been a Speedway star, he even designed and built his own engine to race with the castings being done by Blackburn. It ran, but didn’t get developed. Other things that Wal made were on display, like his fuel injection system and the outboard front disc brake that was immensely powerful. An incarnation of this is on my Buell. 

I had only ever seen this type of brake once before and that had been fitted to a BSA from the sixties. More fun during the day with regular “start-ups” of some of the bikes in the display area. Boys’ dream, noise, smoke and the presence of raw power. Vroom, Vroom, Smile, Smile and a little video to see. The Rudge has a different sound to the modern machines. 

What I had not known was that the modern clubs are developing young riders from about the age of six graduating from 50cc speedway bikes to 125’s then 150’s before the big bikes. I think this type of competition for young riders to help develop their skills is fantastic and in a very controlled environment supervised by the experts. What could be better? An enjoyable day. 

In the Museum

Outside in the display.

III left before the end and the awards but did manage to listen to and see a couple of stars, old and new being interviewed giving their own views of life and riding experiences. Particularly an old German guy who came to the UK to ride and was not doing very well. Fast in the race but slow to start. He asked his coach what to do and was given the advice of full gas from the start. This he did. Fine going into the first turn but found he was going up the straight but without his bike. His Arse was getting very hot skidding along. When he returned to the pits he was expecting a harsh response but, to his surprise, “Good, good! That’s what we want!” It must have pleased the crowds and his performance improved from that point on. There was a fair amount of memorabilia to be had in the form of books and magazines. I did see a book about Speedway during the war and the competitions that were held that looked interesting but was not sure whether to buy it. Perhaps another time. I managed to get home staying off the motorways away from speed and weather and then set about repairing the strap.

It only needed restitching to be repaired. It took hours as I broke so many needles and thread. I really needed industrial stuff to do the job. Now it is back on the car ready to roll.

London Bike show 2020

London Motorcycle Show 2020

I have just read a recent tweet that Hackney council are wanting to charge motorcycles for parking.

Where do people get these ideas from? There is a consultation period about to start so I suggest that every motorcyclist gives them a piece of their minds to stop this. If Hackney does so will all the other Boroughs and that will be very bad news for everyone. There are few designated motorcycle parking bays so it would be a good protest to ride around slowing up everything on a Saturday trying to find one with the group stopping to ask every traffic warden where you can park. Now someone has rattled my cage to write something 

Birds of Prey...... Harlequin

I had a great time at the London Motorcycle show on Valentines Day. What better way than to spend it with your loved one? Gita was there too taking more pics than ever while I tried on new models for size. I had some success with the Honda MXT the 125 mini bike-Monkey bike with two seats. 

I thought “great for the back of the van” to go on holiday with. First I need to finish “Le Petite Van Gris” I found the Kawasaki Versys Grand Tourer much to my liking and more room to get your leg between the tank and the top box. Much better that the previous models where my foot got jammed between. I thought the 650 was a good deal. 

I had some real challenges with BMW and the big GS’s. I have a Buell XB12XT and it is small compared the these Giants. Needless to say I had to launch myself at the seat to just get aboard. 

Once seated I was asked if I would like to enter a draw to have a weekend on the rough stuff by a sweet young lady as I dangled my legs inches off the ground. I asked “What do YOU think?” She went away and I didn’t enter the draw. I sat on the 800 twin and found the foot rests in the way when I put my feet on the ground. Right in the middle of my calf muscle. If I had to get my feet down quick it was going to hurt. Shame really as it did seem to be a nice bike. Not far away was Royal Enfield and I sat on a new Himalayan and it felt like the old one. I sat on the Factory Replica Trials bike and that was as I remember it from early last year. Very sweet. I sat on the Interceptor and looked at the off road version. I like the power, but not the weight. Gita liked them all. Crazy lady.

Walking around I had a sit on most models. Having sat on a Monkey bike I thought the 750 twin might be a something for the future but I thought the modest power output was too modest and much less than my ER6F but the fuel economy was really good. The drawback with it was the positioning of the foot rests. Just like the BMW they stuck into my calf muscle when my feet were on the ground and as with the BMW the seat contour would not let me adjust my position to get around that. I did buy some new bike gear, a new helmet by HJC and Jacket and pants by Oxford that were the new laminated fabric that stopped the material becoming a sponge and dries out real quick, so I have been told. I have yet to try it out. For some reason, this year I and finding the weather making me cold and it is stopping me getting out on a bike. I would just like some sun and warmth in the air. There was some “hot stuff” at the show with the some BSB and TT stars racing 125s. It was great entertainment.

We were supposed to go to Hackney on the way home to meet up with my daughter but that went by the wayside ans there was a signalling fault on the DLR that had us shunting between Canning Town and Poplar until we got off at Canning Town and got on the Jubilee line to come home. Too much to ask getting a bus with bike gear in bags and not knowing where and how to go. Nothing worse that trying to get through crowds when you are double your size. I visited the Motor Action Group stand during the day and found they were short of people for the weekend. I offered to come for tomorrow, Saturday, to help out. I duly arrived Saturday morning and the signalling problem had been fixed. I talked to allot of people about MAG, sold some raffle tickets for the biggest hip flask ever 1.7L about 4 pints. Fill once and go around the world!

I was due to get away early but I met up with some of my traveller acquaintances. Zoe Cano, I know well, Mark Holmes who had visited the London Motorcycle Museum before setting off on his “Around the World Love Story’ on a Rocket 3. I now have his book “Rebirth”. 

Some crazy guys who went around Morocco on Honda Cubs!

Also there was Sam Manicom and Elsepeth Beard the first modern around the world on a bike lady. Not only was she the first, but also ignored by the media at the time and she did it All on her own. No support, No sponsorship only her strength of character that got her through. Hats off to her. It took her years before her book of that adventure was published and I bought that one when she gave a presentation to the Wey Valley Bike Club in 2017. Doesn’t time fly.

New Year: New Display

New Year: New Display

I have done little on the blog in January but it just means I have not got around to writing it. I have been to the Wey Valley Advanced Club Observed Sundays in January and February. These are held on the first Sunday of the month and February was well attended. So enthusiastic are the members it was difficult at times to have a conversation. Out on the Buell for the last meeting and had to wash it after as the roads have been so mucky. Just after Christmas I managed to persuade Gita to help me make some car covers for the kit cars, the El Cid and the Burton from a caravan cover I bought on e-bay last November. It was for a 19ft van and there is a bit of material left over. I used a caravan cover because I was just not able to find a supplier for the material. All the covers seem to be made in China so the only option was to buy a cheap one and make my own. This was a challenge trying to make the curved stitching fit a straight edge and fighting with the 360 degree elastic edging just adds to the fun. It is not easy to pin things together that are trying to fly apart. Needless to say we managed it and two covers are almost finished.

In January I paid some visits to the London Motorcycle Museum to help facilitate relocating some motorcycles to Whitewebbs Museum in Enfield and dismantle some racking to be used in the bicycle display. 

I also loaded up the LE Club LE on my trailer and took it to it’s new home in Enfield subsequent to that it was wrestled into place on the first floor to it’s display location. I say wrestled because it took five of us to get it up the stairs, pulling, pushing, lifting and towing, with two on ropes up the front. LE’s are not particularly heavy, just awkward. We did the same with the Mark two cutaway. The engine and transmission cut away on a convenient board went up in the lift, albeit on end. Last lift of the day was getting a 1916 Douglas upstairs too. This was a bit lighter and only needed four people. By the time we had done this it was enough for the day and time for a rest. No hernias but none of us are as young as we were and there will be aches and pains to remind us of our efforts. We only have another six bikes to go up the stairs!

One very happy Chris.

Before all the huffing and puffing space needed to be made in the display area. A concerted effort cleared most of the bikes out the way before moving the displayed petrol pumps and this allowed us to get all the Rex Judd collection in one area. 

The new Rex Judd display.

This made room for us to move a Royal Enfield into the central display and created space to move all the Ariels into another area. All will be revealed when we have moved all the bikes and set them up where we think they should be. This all should give our visitors a better display and improve the angles for photography. Museums are an information source so being able to get close and personal helps those trying to rebuild and restore some treasured old friends. More pictures when all the moves are done.